


Forgotten Strands

by devylish



Category: Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: F/M, Female Character of Color
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-20
Updated: 2014-08-17
Packaged: 2017-12-30 00:33:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1011910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/devylish/pseuds/devylish
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Damon realizes that Bonnie has used a spell - a non-migrainey spell - on him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I'm Waking Up

**Author's Note:**

> So, yes, I know I have another Bamon piece out here that I haven't finished, but, well I don't particularly LIKE that piece... I like this one. :) This will be a 4 parter at most.  
> No warnings, disclaimer on profile... not beta'd... Uh... yeah... that's it.

Every spell that a witch casts is attached to her. It clings to her like strands of a spider's web. Gossamer, invisible, but indelibly attached. These strands remain imbedded in the witch's skin... attached to her hands, to her legs, her soul... her heart.

Some strands are thicker, more intricate than others...

Some last for just the length of time that the spell exists...

Some last until the witch dies...

And some spells... some of them will last until the world ends.

The first time Bonnie Bennett cast a spell, she **felt** the power of her magic coursing through her veins, taking the place of her blood. And when she finished uttering the spell... when the magic in her veins had been replaced by blood again, she felt magic become a part of her. She felt the first silken strand of 'magic' attach itself to her fingertips.

A witch becomes use to the feeling of these strands... she gets use to being clothed in invisible silk; every piece in its' place... the _dress_ she wears becoming more intricate, more beautiful with every word... every wave of her hands.

Yes, a witch gets use to wearing a second skin.

And she notices when a strand - a strand that was there – breaks.

This morning, Bonnie felt a strand evaporate. She didn't know which strand it was... what spell it represented, but she felt it stretch, tense, and then... she felt it break away and fade to nothing.

She sat up in her bed, uselessly trying to find what ' _had been_ '; trying to figure out what she had lost control of.

She didn't figure out what spell had broken until a half hour later, when the incessant knocking at her door dragged her out of bed, and she opened the door and saw him standing there.

DBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDB

It pierced him like a knife laced with vervain; intense, vivid, and penetrating. The memories cut through him so sharply that he crushed the tumbler that was clutched in his hand; shards and drops of crystal and scotch raining onto the floor.

He cursed... not from the glass imbedded in his hand, but from the realization that he'd been living a lie... And that that lie was all a little, self-sacrificing, witch's fault.

Leaving the boardinghouse without uttering a word to the concerned Caroline and Stefan, he headed to his witch's home.

And that was just it, she **was** HIS witch.

DBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDB

"Damon." The word was barely out of her mouth before he had pushed over the threshold and pulled her against him.

He held her desperately, harshly... his little bird... and he stared down at her... re-memorizing her features. He knew them, of course, as an acquaintance...as a frenemy... as a friend... but he now remembered that he also **knew** her face as a lover knows a lover's face.

He knew her eyes, her adorable nose, her saint-tempting lips. He knew all of her.

And she'd made him forget it all with a spell...

As he lowered his lips to hers he half-threateningly promised, "When I'm done kissing you, I'm going to kill you."

DBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDB

She had missed this.

Missed being held by him. Being enveloped by him...

In the short time that they had had together, she had learned that Damon did everything wholeheartedly. He hunted with his whole being, he hated with his whole being, he hugged and caressed with his whole being. Everything Damon did, he did with his whole body, his whole soul. So when he touched her, when he kissed her, he did it with all of him.

She had missed all of Damon.


	2. I'll Be Your Happy Little Secret

It started with the hug.

… well that's not exactly true, it started with the first time he saw her.

Nutmeg and almonds, with big hazel eyes.

He was distracted by the 'memories' and beauty that was Elena, but that didn't mean that he didn't see Bonnie.

He did.

He would have to have been blind to not see Bonnie's beauty.

And despite opinions to the contrary, he was damn observant.

So, yes, she'd intrigued him from the first.

With her myrrh and jasmine scent, and the energy that just... edged and danced along her skin, it was amazing that every vampire within a five mile radius of her didn't go into heat.

But, other than Baby Gilbert, and perhaps the pussy-ass professor, it seemed that Damon was the only one who saw his witch's worth.

Of course, recognizing that Bonnie was a special little witch didn't equate to acting on that knowledge; not when there was Katherine, and her doppelganger, and sibling rivalry to be focused on.

So he spent years, trying to thwart his brother's relationship with Elena; trying to recapture his illusion of a relationship with Katherine/Elena.

And one hug undid it all.

He played it cool for a while. Telling people that he stayed behind on the island because he knew Elena would want it.

He told Elena that. Told Stefan and Caroline that. He even told Bonnie that.

Everyone believed him.

Everyone believed his reasoning... everyone except for Damon himself.

Only he knew that he stayed behind because he'd had a sudden overwhelming vision of what life without his little witch would be like.

She was smart, witty, beautiful, and no one - not even Stefan - called him on his shit the way Bonnie did.

But, perhaps most importantly, Bonnie was loyal... she was unswervingly, unremittingly, and singlemindedly loyal to those she loved.

Much like him.

Through the years, in between all of the _Judgies_ and the _Witchies_ and the bitterly sharp migraines, Damon had seen Bonnie's loyalty on display. Again, and again, and again.

He'd come to the silent conclusion that while her loyalty was often times misplaced, it was nonetheless, admirable.

He knew that if she ever **gave** herself to someone - admitted to loving that person wholeheartedly - and if she ever felt that the love she gave was mirrored, she would never, ever, renounce that love. She'd never let that love go. She would never have eyes for another.

Damon... Damon had been looking for a love like that his whole life.

It was the only kind of love he wanted.

It was the only kind of love **he** knew how to give.

(())

He didn't have a label for what he was feeling, and he couldn't explain why he suddenly found his witch so delectably enticing, but he was 'feeling things' and he was definitely enticed.

So enticed, that in the week following 'the hug' he found himself watching Bonnie, silently trailing after her like some sort of fucking lost puppy.

He thought he was being a _stealthy_ , lost puppy, but apparently, he wasn't.

"Okay! Enough. What do you want Damon?!" Bonnie spun around in the woods and unerringly faced the tree he was 'hiding' behind.

He casually strolled out from behind the tree, "The whole world doesn't revolve around you Bon Bon. A vampire can take a walk around the woods without an ulterior motive."

She tilted her head to the side. "Sure he can, but he can't go to the Grille, the library, the grocery store AND the woods at the same time as I do without there being an ulterior motive." She put her hands on her hips. " _Bon Bon_ repeats: What do you want Damon?"

He gave half a seconds thought to the question of whether he had really followed her around to all of those places. Realizing the answer to that question was 'yes' he shied away from the question of 'why'. "The pleasure of your company?"

She gave a short bark of laughter and turned her back to him, continuing her journey further into the woods.

He followed.

She sighed. "Seriously Damon, is this a new form of torture on your part? Kind of a Chinese water torture... you just follow me around everywhere in the hopes of wearing me down to nothing?"

He moved so that he was in front of her, blocking her passage.

"Move."

"No." He stepped closer, "I know why you're not with little Gilbert, and fortunately, you're not with Professor Evil... but there are a lot of men in the world, a lot of men in Mystic Falls even, who **have** to recognize you're a catch." He watched her eyebrow raise – the sudden change in topic and his unexpected compliment catching her off guard. "Why aren't you with someone?" He let his eyes slide appreciatively down, then back up her frame. "You're a good person. A little uptight but good." He paused then produced that patented Damon smirk. "Although, you'd probably be a helluva lot less uptight if you were getting some regularly."

Bonnie rolled her eyes at him and groaned. "Really? You've been following me around because you wanted to suggest that I get laid?"

"Well, honestly, I was just wondering **why** you don't have a boyfriend or mate or something, but yes, I'm pretty certain you'd be happier if you were getting laid more than once a year."

Putting her hand on his chest, she pushed her way around him. "First, my sex life," _or lack thereof_ she added silently, "Is none of your business. Secondly, are you forgetting that we live in the most magical place on earth? 'Witches, Vampires, Werewolves... oh my!' Once you find out about the things that go bump in the night in Mystic Falls, it's awfully hard to avoid being involved with them. And unless you're suggesting I chase after Klaus or Kol... my options for, uh, partners is pretty limited." Her voice dropped, "It wouldn't be very fair to ask Joe Schmoe to be my 'steady' when I constantly have vampires breathing down my neck."

"Klaus? Kol?! No... I definitely would never recommend you choose one of them as a bed mate." He sped in front of her, bringing her to an abrupt halt again. "They'd have no idea how to handle you."

He could almost see the question flit across Bonnie's eyes. She was wondering if he was flirting with her. Not that it had never happened before... he flirted with everything... he would flirt with a door if he was in the right mood. But, this time, this flirting... felt a little different to her.

Bonnie and Damon were alone, in the woods, and he had been surreptitiously following her around for days...

And then, of course, there had been the hug.

When she saw him, on the island, and realized he had stayed behind to look for her; she had never been so happy to see anyone before in her life.

And then he had hugged her.

Frenemies, friends, enemies... whatever they were... they didn't touch much. But being hugged by him, at that moment, had made her so... happy. Ridiculously happy. Stupidly happy. Unreasonably happy.

She had packaged, and wrapped, and tied that happiness up and tucked it in a corner of her brain... a corner marked 'things that must not be examined'. And then she had done her best to ignore that package.

But Damon had made it quite challenging for her to forget it. What with his always being around... and his looking at her... and his... his... recommending she get laid... maybe by him.

She shook her head imperceptibly and pushed the package back into its corner, and then she peered up at Damon. "Oh, yes, right, because Damon Salvatore is the best in the world... at everything... including bedding women." Her tone was dry, she put her hand on his chest so that she could again, push past him, "So sorry that I forgot."

She was half way past him, when she felt his hand ghost along hers, halting her movement.

"How about an agreement Bennett?"

She didn't pull her hand from his, but she didn't turn around either. "An agreement?" As she struggled to keep her heartbeat at a steady tempo, she wondered if her voice sounded as breathless to Damon as it did to her.

"You're free. No Jeremy or professor or," he unabashedly sniffed at the air around her, "anyone else taking up your time. And I'm unencumbered."

She silently muttered, 'f _or the moment'_.

He leaned closer to her, his mouth bent to her ear, "I am so much better when I'm with someone... I'm kinder, I don't kick small puppies, or ogle young girls."

She could feel him smiling against her neck.

"And when I'm satiated... I'm definitely much less blood-thirsty. And you... you little Bon Bon ,you could take the edge off – off of everything. I could be your secret... no one would know that for a second, a moment... an hour or two... every week... every day... that you were thinking about yourself... and making yourself happy." He moved his nose along her hair. "I could make you happy Bon."

"Elena -"

"Is with Stefan.

"But she -"

"Made her decision, again, and is with Stefan." He pulled her in toward him, her back to his chest, and he carefully... gently, wrapped an arm around her waist. "I could be your good deed Bonnie. You keep me entertained... and all of Mystic Falls will be a safer place. You would get paid in two ways... all those altruistic feelings for saving the town from the evil that is me," he said the words tongue in cheek, "and you get to be taken care of. I'll keep you happy. I'll be your happy little secret."

His hand rested just beneath her breasts. And he could feel her heart beat... he could hear it beat. He wasn't positive if the increase in pace was due to her wanting him... or simply due to the fact that she was a witch, and he was a vampire, and he had her in his arms. But he was almost positive that he'd be writhing on the ground in mind numbing pain if she wasn't at least a little interested in his offer.

When he climbed out of his bed this morning, it hadn't been in his plans to proposition Bonnie Bennett. At least it hadn't consciously been a part of his plans. But it also hadn't been a part of his plans to follow her around like a duckling chasing after it's mother for the better part of a week. And it hadn't been a part of his plans to hug her when he found her on the island. And it hadn't been in his plans to stay behind on an island to protect his witch while everyone else ran off to safety.

But if there was one thing he'd learned during his moderately long existence, it was that life had a great way of fucking up your plans.

Sometimes for the worse.

Sometimes for the better.

He pulled her closer and using his free hand, he moved the hair away from the side of her neck.

He felt her frame tense, and then almost immediately he felt her relax.

He inhaled her myrrh and jasmine and he realized that he could quite probably get hard simply from her scent. Letting his lips touch her ear he pushed a little further, "For once in your life, Little Witch, say yes. Say yes to something you want. Even if it's simply because you want it."


	3. Anytime, Anywhere

Bonnie was not one to overindulge.

Oh, she occasionally had a piece of chocolate, or slept in, or bought that pair of 'too expensive' shoes. But really, she only did that occasionally, and it was only 'one piece of chocolate', or sleeping in an hour later than normal. Small, little, 'one of' indulgences.

She meted out her fun in controlled, monitored bits. Overindulgence was too distracting. Too tempting. Too much of a reminder of what she couldn't – wouldn't have. So she avoided it.

At least, she **had** avoided it, right up until she gave in to the temptation that was Damon Salvatore.

That's right, several months ago she gave in to her own deeply hidden desires and said 'yes' to Damon. Yes to his suggestion that she do something for herself. Do something that she wanted to do – regardless of the consequences.

The look on his face when he realized that she'd responded with a **yes** , had been kind of priceless.

"Did you just say, uh... that you... and I -"

She put some distance between them; eyes focused on the ground, and her arms wrapped around her waist as she set forth her rules: "1) No one finds out about this, 2) we try it once and... and if it doesn't... uhm work... we leave it alone..." She made eye contact with him and repeated for good measure "3) NO one finds out about this." Conditions delivered, she stared at him: "Take it or leave it."

He took it.

(())

A few days after they'd made their 'deal', he picked her up from the library, drove her to a restaurant in a town an hour and a half away from Mystic Falls, and wined and dined her.

She knew that the restaurant was just an entree to bedding her, but she still appreciated the five course meal. And she especially appreciated the 4 glasses of chardonnay that she had during their meal. And dammit... she also appreciated the company.

Damon didn't ogle her, he didn't smirk at her, he didn't do any of the things she'd assumed he would do. You know... those things that were bound to raise her hackles and put her on edge; instead, Damon was charming. And apparently, Damon could be damn charming... when he wanted to to be. And tonight, he obviously wanted to be be charming.

He held her chair out for her. He ignored the clearly flirtatious advances of their waitress. He chose their wine. And, perhaps most appealingly of all, he held a real conversation with Bonnie. A non-snipey, intelligent, witty... 'conversation'; one that didn't involve them strategizing about what spell she would use against what baddie in an attempt to save Elena. Damon shared stories with her about the witches he'd known: the Halliwells, the Stevens. He spoke eloquently regarding the civil war; fondly of the 'roaring' 20's; teasingly of the 60's. He knew about wine, and cooking...

The whole evening, he was disturbingly, distractingly, deliciously charming... from the moment he picked her up, to the minute their meal was delivered, to the second he slipped the key card into the lock of the hotel room he'd rented for their tryst.

And his charm was disarming.

So disarming that Bonnie was only just barely thinking about calling off their deal as the hotel door closed behind them.

Damon tossed the key card onto the table that sat beside the door and turned around to face her, and for the first time that night she felt uncomfortable.

Well, maybe uncomfortable wasn't the best word. But 'hyper-aware, aroused, embarrassed, and excited' was a mouthful to say, so... yeah, she'd stick with 'uncomfortable'.

There was a predatory gleam in Damon's eye that hadn't been there previously. And Bonnie suddenly felt like a bowl of ice cream placed before a wide eyed child. Or better yet, like a piece of steak placed before a starving man.

He stepped closer to her and she opened up her mouth to tell him she'd changed her mind; that she was calling of their deal. But he beat her to it.

She was wrapped in his arms before she could even draw in a breath.

He whispered a soft, husky command just before his lips touched hers, "Bennett, for God's sake, shut that beautiful brain of yours off."

(())

"So," he rolled the small atomizer around in his hand, "Basically, it's a supernatural Febreze?"

She bit back a smile and pulled her hair up into a ponytail. "Uh, sure, if that works for you. We just spray a little bit, and then you and I, and anything within a twenty foot radius will be, uh... scent neutralized."

He frowned, he wasn't positive he want to remove her scent. He reached for the edge of the shirt she'd just put on, and tugged her closer.  She fell against him light, and it didn't even occur to her to try to escape when his arms wrapped around her.    
  
"Scent neutralized huh?" His chest rumbled against her back.

"Mmm hmm," she leaned in to him – she couldn't help herself, "so that we can keep all of this a secret, and no one – human or non human - will be able to tell that we... we have... uhm..."

Even though he couldn't see her face, he could tell she was blushing. "The word you're looking for, Bon-Bon, is 'sex'. We had sex. Several times. In several positions." He cupped her breast through the cotton of her blouse. "On pretty much every surface in this hotel room." His voice dropped as he lowered his mouth to her ear, "Although, now that I look around, I don't think we christened that desk in the corner over there. What do you say we -"

"Damon -"

He sighed. "I know, I know... you have lunch with Blondie today."

She turned in his arms, her head against his chest. _This should totally feel more awkward than it did._ She shouldn't want to melt into him... to give in and spend another hour, another day, alone with him. But she did... want to. And that 'want' scared the hell out of her. It made her realize that she was in trouble. So much trouble. One night – well a day and a half – with Damon Salvatore, and she was considering doing things that she knew she shouldn't do – like blowing off Caroline and her dad. One night with him and her 'try it once' statement seemed the ultimate in naivety. There was no way this would be a just once kind of thing.

Taking a deep breath, she steeled her back and her resolve. "And then there's my Dad, he's already called twice to find out when I'm coming home."

He gave her a quick hug, then released her. If he didn't put some space between the two of them **now**... he'd end up pulling her back into bed... Caroline, Daddy Dearest, and the rest of Mystic Falls be damned.  "What the hell are the chances that we pick the one weekend to start doing this that your dad actually decides to stay at home?"  He cocked his shoulders and reached around her for the key card; the key card that hadn't moved from it's spot on the table since he'd dropped it there a day plus ago.  Leaning against the door he watched as Bonnie finished tucking her shirt into her jeans and then he watched her slip on her flats. She surveyed the room quickly, before picking up her overnight back and turning to face him. She stole a quick, furtive glance at his eyes as she held her hand out for the 'Febreze'.

Five minutes later and they were in his car, silently and scentlessly, heading back to Mystic Falls.

(())

They were in his bed, her on her back as he leaned over her - using his arms to hold his upper body up, away from hers - looking down at her. "Abby had a bird for a while. And Emily had two cats," he smirked, "You should have a familiar too."

She grinned and let her hands move from his waist to his chest. "I am not going to make you my familiar, Damon."

"C'mon, Emily wanted me to take care of you." He shifted his lower body against hers, "I'd make an excellent familiar – you call," he wiggled his eyebrows, "I come."

Bonnie laughed and gently tapped at his left pec. "First of all, Emily wanted you to watch out for the whole Bennett clan... not specifically for me."

He interrupted, "And how better for me to keep an eye on the safety of the Bennett line than at your side, as a familiar?"

She raised a brow and ignored his argument. "Secondly, familiars are normally animals, and -".

Damon interrupted again, "Normally. _Normalllly_. Not always. 'sides," he leaned down and caught her mouth with his own, gently biting her plump lower lip with his blunted human teeth. "I think you'd have to agree, there's a little bit of 'animal' in me."

He chuckled when she involuntarily contracted around him, a small flush creeping up her body.

She rolled her eyes and muttered a half-hearted, "Part pig; I'd agree you're part pig."

"What was that?" he asked innocently, even though he'd clearly heard every word she'd said.

"Nothing." She stole a glance up at him, before refocusing her eyes on his shoulders and neck. "Finally, familiars do what they're told, and we both know that you rarely do what people want you to do." Her hands slid up over his shoulders. "You're not the type to come on command."

Damon changed his balance, freed one hand, and touching her chin, he tilted her head up, "That's one thing I promise you little witch: if you want me – anytime, anywhere, for whatever reason - I'll do everything I can to come for you."

She was the first to break eye contact, she always was.

(())

He hated the goddamned fucking Febreze.

He hated it with a passion.

He wanted her scent. Craved it. By now, six months after the start of their little 'thing', they were spending all of their free time (meaning whatever time Bonnie could squeeze away from the 'gang') together; in hotel rooms, at the boardinghouse, in his car... he'd even managed to take her (twice) in her own bedroom... while her father was asleep down the hall.

And each and every time they were together, it was better. Better than the last time. She was cuter and sexier and saltier/sweeter and more perfect than she had been the time before.

And each and every time, after they were together, she pulled out that damn bottle of scent remover and within seconds, it was like it – they – never happened.

And despite his agreement (okay, it had been HIS suggestion) that they keep what they were doing a secret, he hated concealing what they were doing from everyone. Yes, there was a degree of arousal in the taboo of the two of them sneaking around, but he hated being her secret. He hated the determined look she got on her face every time she spritzed the air around them.

He knew he was probably bad for her, and he damn well knew he wasn't worthy of her, but he didn't need those facts spelled out to him every time they parted.

Honestly, not only did he not want to **be** her dirty little secret, he also didn't want 'her' to be his dirty little secret. He'd always been a tactile, demonstrative man, and having to curb his actions and his words from their friends (and even from Bonnie herself) was a royal pain in the ass. To not be able to share with others that he was happy - happier than he could really ever recall being before – **because of Bonnie** , was a torture. To not even be able to take her scent with him... a reminder of her hair, her lips, her skin...

He'd casually brought up the idea of coming out of the vampire/witch sex closet to her a few times.

He'd even 'not so casually' brought up the idea of coming out of the vampire/witch sex closet to her a few times.

In response, his Bonnie would tilt her head to the side, offer a small smile, and fucking spritz him with the spray.

_((((((( Author's Note ))))))))_

_I envision one to two more chapters for this piece. More of Bonnie's thoughts, what Bonnie 'does' about her thoughts, and the continuation of what happens when Damon is aware of what Bonnie did. Thanks ever so much for reading!_


	4. The Truth Belie

Damon groused as he tucked his shirt back into his pants. “One of these days Bennett, I'm going to just do it. In front of them all. I'm going to grab you and pull you close and kiss you until you make that little sound at the back of your throat that means you're mine.” He leaned over her and kissed her forehead; his lips touching the little frown that was gathering at her brow. He whispered, “It would be much easier if we just fucking told them.” He dropped his lips down to hers [he adored her lips; their taste and feel and appearance... the things that his witch could do with her lips] and he bit them... drawing a few small beads of her blood into his mouth.

He tightened his frame as he felt her slide the damn atomizer filled with the anti-scent spray into his hand.

Pulling back with a wry smile on his face, he studied his obviously satiated, unbelievably stubborn little bird. She was lying on her bed, naked, her hair mussed... her lips bruised... her nipples swollen... she was beautiful. But she was also so damn stubborn, she was fighting him with every bit of her strength regarding what they had. What they were. She admitted to wanting him. She admitted it every day. Every time he got her alone. But she refused to share that 'want' with the world... with their friends. And he was pretty certain that if he ever got her to admit that she was with him... that she wanted him... in public... to their friends, he'd have her. She'd be his for good.

But as things stood, this was their fifth tryst this week and the seventh month that she and he had secretively been running around. The prime word being secretly.

Of course, he'd agreed to the secrecy clause when they started their little.... whatever it was they had, ,but he'd assumed that he'd either 1) get tired of Witch Bennett, or 2) he'd convince her to come clean with their friends.

Problem was, Bonnie Bennett was damn stubborn. She didn't convince easily, about anything. Especially anything that had to do with him. Another problem? Bonnie was more than he'd expected. She was more than he'd imagined. Within three months of their little trysts, she was... she was... inside of him... ichor and manna and scent and taste.... And, dammit, why did he always fall so hard?

Reaching forward with his hand he captured the last little bit of blood sitting atop her lip. Lifting his thumb to his mouth, he sucked at it. “Some day soon little witch.”

She stretched, pulled up the sheet, and rolled over in the bed as he walked out; wordlessly dismissing and downplaying his 'promise'.

But seconds after he'd closed the door and left the house, she shot up into a seated position, her eyes trained on the door.

'Shit.' Her hands curled at the edges of the sheet. 'Shit, shit, shit!'

She had little doubt that sometime, sometime soon, Damon would try and bring their .. relationship... out of the dark and into the light.

He'd do something big, and grandiose and then it would be out there in everyone's face.

Unavoidable.

Undeniable.

Even to her.

 

(())

She didn't tell Lucy why she wanted the Night Wind Balm - if she had, Lucy would have never given it to her.

Fortunately, Lucy trusted her cousin implicitly, and it never even occurred to her that Bonnie was thinking about trying an Oublier spell.

But an Oublier spell was indeed Bonnie's plan. She was desperate, and at this point, magic was all she could think of to get herself out of the mess she was in.

The 'mess' being the fact that she was in love with Damon Salvatore.

Grams had always said that making a deal with the Devil would lead to a girl to getting burned. And, apparently, Grams had been correct about that bit of wisdom along with all of the other pieces of knowledge she'd dispensed to Bonnie throughout the years.

Once Bonnie agreed to sleep with Damon... she found she'd opened the door to her own personal devil. A crystal blue-eyed devil, with a smile that was at once so teasing and so entrancing that she never really stood a chance against it.

And then she felt the devil's touch. Damon had a touch that would tempt an angel. And while Bonnie prided herself on doing good... being good... she was no angel. And if the Devil could tempt an Angel, imagine what he could do to a mere mortal. Or, well..., a mere witch.

But you know what made Damon truly dangerous to her?

It was his moments of sweetness.

His damn -- give her flowers - buy her books on herbs - pull out her chair for her -- fucking sweetness. She had had absolutely no expectation of this kind of sweetness – thoughtfulness – from Damon... and so, she'd found that she had no defense against it.

Oh, he was still a sarcastic bastard with limited altruistic tendencies... but... he had his moments... those moments that seemed to be occurring more and more frequently - and that seemed to be more and more focused on her. Those moments that suggested he could be more than a bastard. That he had more facets than conceited, blood-sucker.

She tried to fight it, but....

At first she deluded herself, and tried to delude Damon, that she was unaffected by him. That she was getting nothing more than physical pleasure, and a half-assed sense of 'saving the world from the horror that was Damon Salvatore'.

That delusion... illusion lasted for all of a month... if that long.

And then she began to realize that she was 'more' around him.

She laughed more. Laughing at things – little somethings – that he said.  
And she smiled more. Smiled at him. Because of him.  
And she touched him. She found herself touching him, unconsciously..., her hand along his, her thigh against his, her fingers at the back of his head... gracing the dark strands that grew there.

Apparently, she wanted to be closer to him. And each time she said yes to him, it became exponentially harder to say 'no' to him the next time.

(())

She'd never really thought of herself as someone who scared easily.

Vampires, Hybrids, Werewolves, Hunters... pfft. She'd handled them all.

But apparently, love...

Love was a beast that scared her to death.

Especially when that love came in a Damon Salvatore shaped container.

So she gave in to her fear.

(())

 

_“You cooked?”_

_She arched a brow in his direction. “I CAN cook.”_

_He lifted his hands in mock surrender, “Not saying you can't, I've just never had the privilege before.” He moved closer to her, wrapping his arms around her waist, “What have I done to deserve the honor?” He dipped his head and pecked a her lips. “Or is this meal in honor of what I’m going to do to you later tonight?”_

_He loved her blush, and the slight elevation in pulse that he was finding that he engendered in her more often than not._

_She smoothed her hands along his chest, caressing for just a second before lightly pushing him away, “I just felt like cooking.” She moved away from him, “i haven't done it in a while.”_

_Turning to the stove, she focused on keeping her breathing and her heart rate under control. She was about to do something that she really didn't want to do. Something she didn't want to do, but something she had to do._

_Damon bounced on his heels, watching his witch cook. “I could get use to this domesticity; my little Bon Bon, barefoot, and cooking in front of a stove.”_

_She snorted, “Go away before I zap you.”_

_Chuckling, he headed into the living room as directed. Dropping onto the couch in front of the coffee table that Bonnie had set for dinner, he leaned back and relaxed. Maybe tonight he would be able to convince her to admit, if only to him, that she liked him..., for more than his body. Bonnie cooking had to be a good sign, didn't it? She baked, a lot, for their little merry band of friends, but cooking, he couldn't recall hearing about her cooking for Elena or Caroline, or the Gilbert puppy. The fact that she was cooking for him...he gave a small smile._

_Finally... maybe...._

_()_

_Bonnie lifted the two plates that held their meals and headed into the living room. Placing Damon's before him, she placed her own plate next to his. “Let me just get the wine, and we're all set.”_

_In the kitchen, she added the 3 drops of Night Wind Balm – the last ingredient needed for her spell – into the bottle of wine. Grabbing two wine glasses, she blew out a quick breath of air and painted a smile onto her face._

_As she poured the wine into both of their glasses she settled next to Damon. “Try it, the guy at the store said that this is the new 'it' wine of the year.” She lifted her own glass to her lips, but didn't taste the wine._

_Damon swirled the wine in his glass, lifted it to his lips, and took a healthy swallow. As he did so, Bonnie spoke the words that she'd memorized for just this moment:_

Make what isn't real,  
disappear.  
Make it fade like light  
into the night.  
With these words,  
you and I,  
the truth belie.

 

_It only took that one sip, and those few words, and Damon was asleep. And his memory of touching Bonnie, kissing Bonnie, being with Bonnie, loving Bonnie... faded away._

_The rest of it was, more or less, easy for her; she cleaned up the food - she definitely wasn't hungry, her stomach was in knots - and blew out the candles, and then, she used a transportation spell to get Damon out of her house and into his car. She realized that when he woke up, he wouldn't know why he was in front of her house, but she assumed he'd probably think he'd had a bit too much to drink, and had somehow ended up in front of her home. But thanks to the spell, it would never occur to Damon that there might be some other, more intimate, reason as to why he was at Bonnie Bennett's door._


	5. Forget me not

Fear can make a girl do stupid things.

Things like: casting a forgetfulness spell on a man she's absolutely crazy about. 

Fear - despite the stupidity that it imbues in people – isn't, however, the strongest force in the universe. There are stronger forces, such as hate. And love. Fortunately for the world, there has always been love. And love, love will always be the strongest magic the world has ever known.

()

There were several reasons Bonnie's spell failed.

1\. Oublier (forgetfulness) spells are notoriously unstable which is why they weren't often attempted; so despite the fact that Bonnie was a powerful witch, she had endeavored to do something that even the most wizened of her kind failed at.  
2\. When she asked the spirits to make what wasn't real 'disappear', they'd made a nominal attempt to fulfill her request. But that was where things went wrong. It... she and Damon... were real. What they had was real. Real heat. Real connection. Real emotion. It might have not been fully recognized or admitted, but it was real. She'd built her spell on quicksand....  
3\. Love fucking conquers all. Cinderella, Snow White, The Prince and Mrs. Simpson, Shah and Mumtaz Mahal... Damon and Bonnie. Love rules.

()

There was kissing.

There was yelling... a lot of yelling.

And then there was more kissing.

And touching.... 

And apologies.... apologies for being so afraid. For not trusting. For not being trustworthy. 

After the apologies - and during them - there was more kissing, followed by a small bonfire, followed by rule setting; and oddly enough it wasn't Bonnie who started the bonfire... or the rule-setting, it was Damon.

“Rule one - no more twitching your nose, bobbing your little ponytail, or muttering little incantations in my direction.”

She raised a brow in silent question.

“Well, okay, yeah.... if I fuck up big time... you can do your little whammy thing on my brain... or set me on fire... but no big spells.” 

She smirked, 'My little whammy thing huh?”

Damon moved on to demand #2. “We tell every one we know that we're a couple; we're out, we're loud, and we're proud. We'll have a fucking 'Bamon' coming out party so that there is no question by anyone regarding our status.”

She leaned in towards him, “And remind me again, what is our status?”

He groaned, “Seriously Bennett... vampires don't do boyfriend/girlfriend. We do mates. We do lovers. We don't do boyfriend and girlfriend.”

Bonnie grinned up at Damon, “and yet,” she placed her hand on his chest and stepped in to him, “What are you?”

He rolled his eyes and delivered flatly, “your boyfriend.”

Her smile grew bigger and his eyes were once again drawn to her gorgeous lips. Sliding his arms around her, he offered a grudging compliment, “you're lucky you're so damn hot.” 

(())

 

“I'm still thinking about exactly how I’m going to punish you.”

“Punish me? I'm not a 10 yr old, you can't punish me.”

He gave her a dark smile, “I can, and I will.” His grin grew bigger as – eyes focused on the road -- he lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her palm, “but I can almost promise you that you will enjoy the punishment.”

“Almost, huh?”

“My beautiful little witch, you made me forget we had sex. Amazing sex. World-class, bendy, steamy, better-than-blood sex.” He pulled into the Boardinghouse driveway. “You made me forget that I'd ever heard you say my name in a non-censuring way. You made me forget I could make you wiggle in your seat with pleasure with merely a word or two. You made me forget what you look like naked.” He put the car in park and turned to peer at her. “You made me forget how great you make me feel when you smile at me.” He reached over and ran his thumb along her cheek. “I'd say that a little pain is more than deserved.”

Leaning into his hand, Bonnie reached over and curled her fingers through the hair at the back of his neck,“why, oh why, do I have to be attracted to a big, bad, vampire?” 

The question was asked teasingly; he knew she was playing with him -- pushing the buttons that she had really only just realized she had complete ownership of. But even though he knew she was teasing him, he still nearly purred at the feel of her hand at his neck. “Admission of your attraction to me is very wise Little One – it won't keep you from being punished, but,” his fangs dropped just a bit as she ran her index finger along the side of his neck, “... but, it might make the punishment less severe.”

Bonnie gave a soft laughing sigh and withdrew her hand from Damon's neck. Pointing towards the house she asked “isn't this punishment enough? Caroline is going to scream, and then she's going to squeal; Stefan is going to frown, and then he's going to frown some more.” She offered, tongue-in-cheek “we could just keep this all to ourselves; I could make up another batch of the febreze...”

Damon's growl was more than loud..., it was palpable. The little bonfire he'd had in her backyard had been created purely to burn Bonnie's two spare canisters of 'febreze'; his hatred of the scent neutralizing spray was boundless. “I've changed my mind... rule one in the 'Bonnie makes up for her stupid, make-Damon-forget plan' is that you never, ever bring up the magical febreze again. Rule two is that you don't use your magic against me – unless I’ve earned it, and your third 'to do' is to go inside the house with me and tell my brother and Caroline that you adore me, want me, and find me irresistible.”

She raised a brow, “and meanwhile you will be saying –?”

Damon leaned across the seat, crowding her against the door, his voice low and thick with sudden heat. “That I can't even remember what whatsherface, or whatsherface2 looked like. That I thought I knew what attraction was, but until I touched you... tasted you... all I experienced for 170+ years was faux emotion.” His lips were at her ear, “I'll be telling them that you, Ms. Bonnie Bennett, are the real deal. That I could spend the rest of my existence with you and never tire of hearing you say my name, never tire of looking at you, never tire of making you smile – even when you really want to yell at me.”

She could feel his face next to hers, his nose nuzzling in her hair, before he dipped his head just a bit and lowered his tongue to the two small barely visible puncture marks on the side of her neck – another result of the activities of the weekend. He licked at the piercings – a zip of electricity shooting through him as his tongue ran over the marks. 

Bonnie's fingers curled at Damon's shoulders as she felt his magic course through her veins. And yeah... when he touched the mark he'd left on her, it felt just like magic to her. Apparently, claim bites were different from 'want to suck your blood until you die' bites, or 'just looking for a snack' bites. Claim bites called on magic; they linked spirits, joined beings. Claim bites were more than 'just' physical. And Damon had made it quite clear – all weekend long – that while he physically wanted her, he also wanted the rest of her... mind, body, soul. 

Bonnie shivered and smiled as she let Damon make damn certain that she was covered in his scent.


	6. Epilogue

“Do you think we fooled them?” 

Caroline lifted her head from Stefan's chest “We did a better job of fooling them than they did of fooling us. Of course, that's not saying much.” She shook her head, “seriously, they were together for, what, eight months, and they thought we didn't notice anything?”

Stefan chuckled, “well you have to admit, the whole 'scentless' thing threw us off for a bit.”

“A few weeks... but after that...”

“After that, we remembered that Bonnie is a witch and was probably doing something to make us unable to scent them.”

Caroline nodded her head in agreement, then grumbled, “Still, I can't believe they thought we wouldn't notice how often they disappeared at the same time, and at the end... even with Bonnie's olfactory magic, they weren't being very careful about other things. You saw a couple of hickeys on Bonnie..., and sometimes they would come back from another room together – clothes done up differently than they had been previously... I mean come on!”

Stefan gave Caroline a hug, “Yeah, well, remember who we're dealing with here, Damon the master manipulator, and Bonnie the self-sacrificing sorceress. Damon likes to do things his way, and isn't necessarily prone to looping everyone in on what he has going on. And Bonnie... Bonnie is all about secrets.”

Caroline opened her mouth to debate Stefan's estimation of her best friend. 

“Before you disagree with me, think about it. She's normally motivated by a desire to help her friends, but still, she's one of the most secretive of all of us.”

Caroline shrugged in reluctant agreement. 

They lay in silence for a while, Caroline running her finger along Stefan's bare chest, Stefan running his hand through her hair. Suddenly, lifting her head, she looked at Stefan – a teasing grin on her face. “I bet the sex is good.”

“The...oh! C'mon..., 'ick!' that's my brother you're trying to paint a picture of in my head. “

She wiggled her way up Stefan’s body, “Mmm hmmm, your brother AND Bonnie.” She dropped a small kiss on Stefan's lips. “Think about it, all of his experience and skill in combination with her limberness and repression....” She kissed him again, her lips lingering a little longer this time. “The sex is probably really, really hot.”

Stefan slipped his hand behind his girl's neck, pulling her closer to him. “I'm going to say 'ick' again, and then I’m going to remind you that you and I, from time to time, have had some pretty spectacularly hot sex.”

Caroline teased, “Really? You and I, huh? Hot sex?” She gave a mock pout, “Yeah, hmm, my memory of this 'hot sex' thing is kind of fuzzy.”

Stefan flipped them over so that he was hovering over her, “I guess I'm going to have to do my best to spark that memory of yours.”

She giggled, “You might have to spark it a couple of times... just to be sure the memory really sticks.”

He sighed, “A man has to do, what a man has to do.”


End file.
